Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as sheep and goat plague, is a viral disease, affecting primarily sheep and goats (domestic and wild). Due to high death rate, the disease has a devastating impact in countries where sheep and goats play an important role in livelihoods and economic development of local communities.
To overcome the disease burden, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have adopted a “Global strategy for the control and eradication of PPR”. The objective is to eradicate PPR worldwide by 2030.
Currently, 26 EU countries are free from PPR. However, given the occurrence of PPR in the EU neighbourhood, awareness-raising and surveillance are needed in order to ensure early detection of the diseases. The preparedness to effectively limit the spread of the diseases and eliminate their outbreaks is also equally important.
In 2023 and 2024, the Commission has awarded €0.01 million and €0.043 million, respectively, to two EU countries to contribute to the awareness and early detection of PPR outbreaks in the EU.